This reading is about the peer editing process. This article is written by Richard Straub. Straub who earned his Ph.D. at Ohio State, taught courses in writing, composition and rhetoric, and literature at Florida State University. Much of his work revolved around the response to the evaluation of students writing.
Straub first talks about the easy way of peer editing, doing the least amount possible and still satisfying the teachers requirements while staying under the radar (sounds like me in high school). Then he goes into what you should do if you actually want to put in the time and effort and help a peer out. He says to be supportive and give them the benefit of the doubt which I like because it doesn’t make the writer feel insecure about his/her writing while at the same time you are helping them write a better essay. I also like when he says that being a good friend and peer editor that you still have to point out the problems and areas for improvement, like constructive criticism. Another thing I agreed with is how he said your comments should be more than two to three words, they should be sentences. My teachers in high school used to only leave two to three word responses in the margins, stuff like “unclear” or “add more detail” and my favorite “revise”, i hated that. When I peer edit a paper on Wednesday then I will know what to write. No short answers, be constructive while still giving praise and never try to get the writer down.
Barnes` Blog (Writing 1) 